Racing rule Question

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chippie

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I read a post on another forum that postulated the view that a yacht racing with its spinnaker up and with its boom over the port side but sailing by the lee, is not in fact on starboard tack as the wind is on the port side.

What sayeth the forum?

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Rubbish!
I quote the ISAF Racing rules:
"A boat's leeward side is the side that is or, when she is head to wind, was away from the wind. However, when sailing by the lee or directly downwind, her leeward side is the side on which her mainsail lies. The other side is her windward side. When two boats on the same tack overlap, the one on the leeward side of the other is the leeward boat. The other is the windward boat."

This is in the "definitions" section.

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I remember being becalmed without the kite up in Cork Week a few years ago. I learned the lesson that if you are in that position, the best plan is to get someone to lean on the boom so that its over to Port - you are then on Starboard tack and don't have to go a gyrate when some smart**se drifts into you holding their boom over to port thus giving them rights...

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When speaking to newcomers to sailing I say a boat is on starboard tack when the wind is coming over the starboard side, and port tack when the wind is coming over the port side. However the Racing Rules define starboard tack as when the boom is out on the port side and port tack as when the boom is out on the starboard side. This presumably to cover the case when sailing dead down wind and the boom could be out on either side. You could of course be sailing by the lee with the boom on the port side and be on starboard tack.

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I believe this also applies to heaving to. When you fancy a rest make sure you heave to with the boom out to the port side.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://"www.nwcc.info">North Wales Cruising Club</A>
 
Methinks that if you heave to in a race then you're not going to be near enough to anyone to have to worry about the racing rules :D

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